Tuesday, August 31, 2010

A Letter That (Surprise) Did Not Get Published

Ali Abunimah attacks America's position regarding a future peace between Israel and the Arabs of the former Palestine Mandate, one that rejects Hamas participation, writing "Why should Hamas or any Palestinian accept Israel’s political demands, like recognition, when Israel refuses to recognize basic Palestinian demands like the right of return for refugees?" ("Hamas, the I.R.A. and Us, Aug. 30). But the two elements cannot be compared.

Refugees, - and there are hundreds of thousands of Jews who also became refugees from Arab countries it cannot be ignored, - resulted from a war which began when Arabs rejected the UN Partition resolution in 1947 primarily because they refused to recognize the right of the state of Israel to be established. The cause of 'no peace' was, and continues to be, the unwillingness of Arabs to accept the existence of a sovereign Jewish national framework, in any territorial configuration. It is the Arab side that consistently rejects compromise. A cause and an effect cannot be on the same level when seeking a solution. Israel's existence is not a political "demand" over which to quibble.

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About Me

American born, my wife and I moved to Israel in 1970. We have lived at Shiloh together with our family since 1981. I was in the Betar youth movement in the US and UK. I have worked as a political aide to Members of Knesset and a Minister during 1981-1994, lectured at the Academy for National Studies 1977-1994, was director of Israel's Media Watch 1995-2000 and currently, I work at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. I was a guest media columnist on media affairs for The Jerusalem Post, op-ed contributor to various journals and for six years had a weekly media show on Arutz 7 radio. I serve as an unofficial spokesperson for the Jewish Communities in Judea & Samaria.